You can now get a legit degree in FIFA

Staffordshire University launches first eSports degree explicitly about the business of playing games professionally

It’s official: students in the UK can now get a BA (Honors) degree in eSports. Staffordshire University’s Stokes-on-Trent campus is now accepting applications for a three-year eSports degree program, one that kicks off in September 2018 and “focuses on the business of eSports.” Basically, this means your standard-issue game-addled 17-year-old can now get a legit college degree in something s/he actually enjoys. Why is it a big deal? Because it is the first time that any university in Europe has pitched a degree program as being explicitly about the business of playing games professionally. ALSO SEE:9 commandments for every gamer

The three-year course will include modules in organising your own commercial eSports event, casting, PR, marketing, learning about the technical/production aspects and creating business plans for your own eSports company. Business Insider reports that students will also get to ‘explore the culture of eSports, its audience, genres and fanbase’. But getting into the course isn’t a cakewalk; prospective students will need at least 112 UCAS points (BBC A-levels or a DMM BTEC) to even qualify. Staffordshire University says that there will also be six scholarship opportunities worth over £2,000 (approximately Rs 1.65 lakh) per student on offer for best-performing students, to fund their careers in eSports. Besides being able to ‘compete in events in the UK and overseas’ during the course, enrolled students will also have access to ‘a dedicated eSports Lab and Pro Gamer training facility’ with all the latest industry standard software and hardware. ALSO SEE:How to build your own gaming rig

Staffordshire University – which already offers games design and development courses – is not the first university to warm up to the idea of offering courses focused on the eSports industry. It follows other international educational institutions like University of Nevada (that offers courses specially linked to eGambling and casino industry), Philippines’ University of The Visayas New School (offers courses focused on game development) and schools in Denmark and Norway that offer eSports instead of gym class.

The first batch gets underway in 2018. And if you are interested, the first-year tuition fees are £9,250 (approximately Rs 7.64 lakh) for UK and European students and £10,900 (approximately Rs 9 lakh) for international students.